


Stone Heart

by Wintermoth



Series: The Adventures of Adrienbug and Chat Mari [7]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, First Meeting, LOL HERE WE GO, THE LONG-AWAITED CIVILLIAN MEETING ... well eventually, The Adventures of Adrienbug and Chat Mari, in which Marinette takes NO ONE'S SHIT, ml origins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-09
Updated: 2016-09-14
Packaged: 2018-06-01 04:22:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6500653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wintermoth/pseuds/Wintermoth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Surely Hawkmoth wouldn’t target kids on their first day of school? …Right? He had to remember what the first days were like.  <i>...On second thought...</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Troisième

**Author's Note:**

> Well I mean it should be obvious that these are the origins episodes. They're out in French/English/Korean now so if you haven't seen 'em that's on you.

On the first day of school, Marinette woke up feeling homicidal. Her phone alarm's squawks were ignored for several minutes by its owner in protest. Maybe if she snubbed it for long enough it would go away, she could go back to sleep, and school would just…be cancelled. But then Plagg growled and crawled out from beneath the blankets where they'd burrowed to slam his paws against her phone screen. The alarm ceased and she sighed in relief. Wonderful, now she could go back to—

"Get up, Marinette," Plagg ordered. "Your infernal thing woke _me_ up so you have to be up as well."

"No," she grumbled. "We should both go back to sleep."

He was silent for a moment, probably considering the notion. "Don't you have school today? I mean, I'm all for going back to sleep, but isn't school required? I won't have one of my cats be uneducated when she has other options."

Marinette scowled and a moment later, a small but very solid mass landed on her face. She recoiled. Plagg's eyes glowed through the seams of her blanket, just an inch from her own. "Up."

Her phone alarm started up again right then and Plagg yowled in protest. His weight left her and Marinette quickly emerged from her cocoon of blankets to deal with her phone before it met its end at the hands of an irate kwami.

Marinette slid out of bed and made her way down to the kitchen. Her mother had some breakfast set out for her but she herself was nowhere to be found. Knowing that would not be the case for long, Marinette quickly grabbed some cheese from the fridge and darted back upstairs to give it to Plagg. When she came back down, her mother was there.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Sabine greeted her. "Ready for your first day?"

Marinette sighed and sat down at the counter. "Not really. Chloe will probably in my class again."

"For the fourth year in a row? You think that's possible?"

"Well, I'm unlucky enough for it," Marinette grumbled, smirking to herself at her joke.

"It's a new year, I'm sure everything will be fine!"

She ate her breakfast quickly then headed upstairs to get ready for class. She chose a pair of cute pink jeans, her favorite shirt, black blazer, and ballet flats. She stood in front of her vanity mirror for a few minutes, trying to decide what to do with her hair. She'd favored a bun for most of the last year but it had gotten old. The last few weeks she'd been pulling it back in a ponytail but she'd done pigtails when she debuted her new dress and they'd looked pretty cute.

Pigtails it was.

She and Plagg had discussed his arrangements during school hours the day before. He couldn't stay home while she went to school since there would likely be akuma attacks during the day and he needed to be with her in case there were. Plus, she didn't feel comfortable being away from Plagg. She felt vulnerable. So, no, as much as he didn't want to spend hours tucked away, he wouldn't be staying home. She didn't trust him in her backpack for hours on end so after ten minutes of searching her room, she had procured a clutch purse small enough that she could easily carry it everywhere but large enough for him to comfortably fit.

She motioned for him to get in and Plagg complained about it for a minute but finally settled himself into the small purse. He tossed and turned a few times to get comfortable and then sighed. "I'm going to need something to do in here," he warned her.

"We'll figure it out later," she promised him and shut the clasp.

Downstairs, her father had prepared a present for her to take and share with her classmates and teachers. He presented the box to her, filled with green macaroons bearing their bakery's new logo, with a grin on his face and she squee-ed in delight. "They're so pretty!"

"Glad you like them," he replied and closed the box, handing it to her.

"Thank you, _papa!"_ she cried. "My class is going to love them. You're the best!"

"We're the best," Tom corrected and ruffled her hair. "Thanks to the new logo you designed."

Marinette beamed with pride and threw her arms her father's neck without thinking. The box fell from her hand but, fortunately, her father caught it with his foot. He handed it back to her with a raised eyebrow and fond smile.

Marinette laughed sheepishly. "Oops. Thanks."

Sabine gave her her backpack. She kissed both their cheeks and ran out of the bakery. Her parents called out goodbyes after her just before the door shut.

She made it to school without incident and up to their classroom on the second floor. Her homeroom teacher was Miss Bustier, a slender redheaded woman who was very pretty in Marinette's opinion, and also the literature teacher. She smiled briefly at Marinette as she entered. "Could you close the door behind you, please?"

Marinette did as she was asked then scampered up to the second row of desks to her seat from last year. Her best friend Alya was already waiting for her. "Hey girl," she greeted as Marinette plopped down onto the bench. "Are those from your Dad?"

"Mmhmm. Want one?" she asked, opening the box.

"Heck yeah." Alya picked one from the box and took a bite.

"Nino," Miss Bustier called, "why don't you sit in the front this year?"

The boy in question grumbled in protest but slunk down the steps from the back row and slumped onto the bench in front of Alya. The blogger sighed and patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, man, it'll be alright. You're up here with the cool kids now."

Nino looked between her and Marinette almost skeptically then his eyes fell on the box of macaroons. His expression lit up. "Maaarriii, if you share, I will love you forever."

Marinette giggled and pushed the box towards him. "Go ahead. They're for everyone."

"Really?" Alix piped up from across the room. She scrambled to get out of her desk past Mylene. "Yo, gimmie."

Both girls got up, followed quickly by Kim and Max, lured by the prospect of sweets from the Dupain-Cheng bakery. When Juleka and Ivan arrived, they both immediately made a beeline for Marinette's seat, and so, too, did Rose and Nathanael when they showed up a moments later. She noticed Miss Bustier looking their way and she took two macaroons down to the front desk. For a few blissful minutes, Marinette was the hero of her class (in more ways than one, but they didn't need to know that) and it seemed like the great start to the year.

Then Chloe Bourgeois walked in the room and her eyes immediately locked onto Marinette.

She groaned inwardly but offered the blonde brat a smile and a macaroon anyway because she was determined to be the better person. Chloe, however, turned up her nose. "As if. Now move. That's my seat."

Marinette blinked, glancing at Alya who was just as bewildered, then frowned. "No. This is my seat, it's always been."

"Not anymore," Sabrina, Chloe's only friend in school (and probably anywhere), chirped from Alya's other side. In true Sabrina fashion, she had arrived without anyone noticing. "New year, new seat."

"So move," Chloe ordered. "Both of you. The front row is wide open over there."

Marinette bristled at the challenge, the cat in her growling in response. Or maybe that was just Plagg. "Why don't you just sit there, then?" she asked through her teeth at the same time Alya blurted out, "Uh uh!"

"Because today Adrien is coming and since that—" she pointed at the spot next to Nino "—will be his seat, this will be my seat. Understood?"

"No." Marinette snapped. "And who's Adrien?"

Chloe and Sabrina laughed mocking. Marinette frowned again. Really, who was Adrien? Was she supposed to know that name, or something? She tried to wrack her brain but she was coming up blank.

"I must be dreaming," Chloe sneered. "She doesn't know who Adrien is. Unbelievable. What planet have you been living on?"

"He's a famous model," Sabrina explained. "Super famous."

"And _I'm_ his best friend." She placed her hand over her heart dramatically. "He's crazy about me. So move."

"No. We were here first and these are our seats. Deal with it." With that, Marinette turned her back to Chloe and pushed the box of Macaroons towards Sabrina. "Would you like one?"

The red-haired girl blinked in surprise at this new development. She glanced at Chloe but looked away just as quickly. "S-sure," she said quietly. She reached for the macaroons, ignoring Chloe's affronted scoff, then scurried down to the front row.

Marinette refused to look around but saw Alya giving Chloe a very pointed look. First day of school and already she was ready and willing to throw down with Chloe. Though she hadn't been in the same class as them last year, Alya was quite aware of the way the blonde's bitchiness had only continued to increase, particularly towards Marinette. Marinette was quite capable of taking care of herself, now more than ever, but it was nice to know Alya was firmly in her corner once more.

Why wasn't Alya a superhero, again? She made a mental note to ask Plagg if there were other kwami and how one could go about convincing them to bestow their Miraculous on specific individuals.

"Chloe, take your seat," Miss Bustier ordered. "Either next to Nino or next to Sabrina."

With a huff, Chloe stormed off to sit next to her friend.

Nino exhaled in relief and twisted in his seat. "Look who finally grew a backbone," he teased. Marinette stuck her tongue out at him. "Good thing, too. I'd rather have _her—_ " he jerked his head at Alya "—behind me over the harpies any day."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Alya replied, lifting her nose primly.

Miss Bustier cleared her throat to quiet the class. "Attention everyone! For those who don't know me yet, I'm Miss Bustier. I'll be your homeroom teacher this year…."

Homeroom passed without incident. Chloe cast frequent glances towards the door, first annoyed, then angry, then…the closest thing to concern anyone had ever witnessed from her. The mysterious 'Adrien' never showed his face. It was just as well, Marinette reasoned. Anyone who was best friends with Chloe was not someone they would be interested in meeting. The last thing they needed was a male version of Chloe to back her up.

At the end of the period, Miss Bustier dismissed them to go to gym or the library, depending on what option they'd chosen. Marinette and Alya were gathering their things when Ivan let out a furious roar behind them.

Now, Ivan was the kind of person who intimidated strangers. He was huge and hulking, much like Marinette's father. Unlike Tom Dupain, Ivan didn't have a cheerful smile and friendly eyes to offset his fierce appearance. His eyes were dark and narrow and his face was almost constantly set in a scowl. He wore black from head to toe and if his shirts didn't have crossbones on them, then there was a skull, or some other creepy symbol on them. But all one had to do was get to know him to realize that he was a gentle giant. Sure he had a temper but he was a classic case of 'rough exterior, soft interior.' Especially when it came to a certain small, stout girl in their class….

So when Ivan out of nowhere, let out a roar of fury, the entire class was rightfully alarmed. Marinette's Chat instincts kicked in and she whipped around before the sound even died in his throat. Others, like Rose, saw Ivan's upraised fist and Kim's taunting smirk, and got the hell out of Dodge immediately. Marinette stood, ready to diffuse the situation, but Miss Bustier beat her to it.

"Ivan, what are you doing?!"

"It's Kim!" Ivan protested. "I'm gonna make him taste—"

"Ivan, go calm yourself in the principle's office!"

Ivan growled and crumpled up a piece of paper Marinette hadn't noticed before, grabbed his backpack, and stalked out of class. Marinette's stomach churned nervously. Whatever Kim had done had set Ivan on a dangerous path, one she knew could easily end in pain and destruction. But…no. Not today. It was the first day of school. Surely Hawkmoth wouldn't target kids on their first day of school? …Right? He had to remember what the first days were like.

…

On second thought, she needed to keep an eye on him.

"What the heck, Kim?" Alya demanded. "What did you do to him?"

Kim grinned slyly. "Nothing," he said as he gathered his things. "Just trying to give him a nudge in the right direction."

"Somehow, I get the feeling that the principle's office on the first day isn't the right direction."

"Hey, I was just tryin' to help. Not my fault he overreacted." With that, Kim left the room. Marinette glanced at Miss Bustier but the woman didn't seem to have heard the conversation.

Alya sighed. "C'mon. Library. Unless you signed up for gym without telling me?"

Marinette laughed a bit nervously and shook her head. Her in gym? _Chat Noire_ in gym? Probably not a good idea. "Go on a head. I need to put the macaroons in my locker."

Alya agreed easily and they parted ways outside the classroom. Marinette did indeed stuff the baked goods and her backpack in her locker but she had no indention of going to the library just yet. Not until she made sure Ivan was calm. She could feel Plagg wriggling around in her clutch like he wanted to come out so she quickly ducked into the bathroom, checking to make sure it was empty, then opened her clutch. Plagg's head poked out.

"Who was that girl?" he demanded. He certainly didn't mean Alya.

"Chloe Bourgeois," Marinette growled. "She's the mayor's daughter and Paris's biggest brat."

Plagg frowned and his whiskers twitched. "The way she spoke to you…"

"Chloe is to Marinette what Hawkmoth is to Chat Noire."

Plagg's green eyes widened before narrowing into slits. His hissed softly. "We should—"

A loud crash shook the entire building and without her catlike reflexes, Marinette would've topped over. She caught herself against the wall and Plagg yowled in protest.

"KIIIIIIIIIM!" a monstrous voice thundered above their heads.

Marinette let out a low moan, "Nooo." Ignoring Plagg's grumbling, she pushed off the wall and ran out into the courtyard.

Then someone shrieked, "AKUMAAAAAA!" and suddenly there was a mad rush for the school entrance as students and teachers alike tried to flee the campus. Clearly, despite the frequent attacks over the summer, the school hadn't implemented any sort of Akuma Emergency Plan. Marinette was able to blend in with the crowd and although she didn't see Alya anywhere, she knew the blogger would undoubtedly make an appearance once Chat Noire did.

Before she made it to the front doors, however, the screaming from the front of the crowd increased in fervor and suddenly the tide shifted. Students were swarming back _into_ the school. The building shook once more from a mighty crash and Marinette flinched. She fought her way out of the crowd and headed for the exit.

The akuma was a giant stone golem. It walked upright and screamed with Ivan's voice, distorted and gravelly. Before her eyes, it picked up a car just as its passengers fled, and hurled it across the railing into the Seine.

Marinette made a beeline for home, snuck in through the side door, and ran up to her room. Luckily for her, her parents were busy in the bakery and didn't notice her entrance. She was able to transform in peace and Chat Noire climbed out through the trapdoor. She was already preparing to go it alone this time. Ladybug was undoubtedly in class right now and since it wasn't his school being attacked, there was no reason for his teachers to cancel or to even know yet. Good thing she had her yo-yo to hold the akuma in or she would be in trouble.

Oh, but, what about when she transformed back!? What would happen to the akuma then? She wouldn't be able to use Jinx until she knew for certain.

A fight alone and without Jinx. Wonderful. Just wonderful.

Grumbling to herself, Marinette leaped off the balcony, throwing out her yo-yo, and swung after the akumatized Ivan. From what she had seen so far, he wasn't interested in hurting anyone although if the way he screamed his tormentor's name was any indication, Kim would be in serious trouble when Ivan caught up to him. He had to be heading for the stadium where the school took students for their gym classes. If she could somehow stop him before he got there….

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

**_CRASH_ **

Ooh, correction: he was not interested in hurting anyone but he didn't seem to care if they got hurt indirectly in his wake of destruction.

Chat Noire followed him from a safe distance on the rooftops, observing. No way in hell she was going down there unprepared. As far as she could tell, he was intent on plowing through the city and destroying anything in his path. Apart from super strength he didn't seem to have any powers at all or means of defense other than his stone skin. There was no sign of anything anywhere on his body that could have been corrupted. It would be _just_ her luck for him to be one of the ones where the object was embedded into his skin.

A helicopter flew overhead and she knew better than to hope she hadn't been spotted already. She wouldn't be able to remain idle much longer now that the eyes of the city were undoubtedly on her. Hopefully the footage of her stalking the akuma would be enough to spur Ladybug into getting creative and getting here ASAP.

When Ivan reached a traffic jam, Chat Noire realized it was time to intercede. "HEY! ROCKY!" she shouted to get his attention. "UP HERE!

(Perhaps Rocky wasn't the best name she could've chosen but in absence of his akuma name, it was better than just calling him Ivan.)

Rocky looked up at her and roared wordlessly. A purple outline that was only too familiar appeared around his face. Now was the part where he would start demanding her Miraculous. Instead of waiting for Hawkmoth to finish instructing his pawn, Chat Noire leaped off the rooftops and landed between Rocky and the cars. People screamed behind her and fled.

The symbol disappeared and Rocky growled at her. "Your earrings," he rumbled, "give them to me."

"No!" she shouted. "You don't have to do this! Whatever's bothering you, we can—"

"Give them to me!" he repeated. "Or I'll break you!"

She flattened her ears and began to whirl her yo-yo threateningly at her side. "Let's go, then!"


	2. Lonely Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm going to go my entire childhood only having two friends, Tikki," he realized aloud. "And neither of them will know the truth about me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well it's probably one of the shorter chapters I'll write for this thing...
> 
> Reminder: you can always come follow me on tumblr (wintermoth). I reblog a LOT of Miraculous Ladybug ^-^ and I'm always willing to talk about this AU.

Adrien was having a bad day.

The grand plan he and Chloe had concocted had gone to the pot rather quickly. Like, ridiculously quickly. How was it that he had spent most of the summer sneaking out almost every night as Ladybug without getting caught but when he tried to sneak out as Adrien, he couldn't make it through the gate without raising the alarm?

In hindsight, it had to be Chloe's fault. "Nothing's going to go wrong!" she'd assured him the night before.

Famous last words.

He hadn't even made it inside the school before he was thwarted by Nathalie and the Gorilla. It was probably only thanks to Ladybug's luck he'd even made it that far. Tikki had tried to soothe him in her own way from inside his shirt although Nathalie gave him no opportunity to be alone with his kwami for a proper pep talk. Oh, no. No. That would've been too nice. Instead he had to immediately begin his lessons.

He spent the entire time only half paying attention and wondering what Chloe was doing. She'd promised to save him a seat right in the front—he read that the front was the best place to sit if you wanted to be able to pay attention and catch everything. It also showed that you were willing to pay attention. Chloe must have figured out by now that he wasn't coming. Had she tried texting him? Was she going to try to visit during her lunch break? She'd been so dead set on him joining her at school, how was he supposed to talk her down now that their plans had been thwarted?

Then his father arrived and Adrien realized that Nathalie had snitched. After a brief argument in which Gabriel left no room for argument, Adrien fled to his room. Where he apparently was going to stay locked for the rest of his childhood. As he was laying on his bed with his face buried in his pillow and a sorrowful kwami nuzzling his hair, it occurred to Adrien that he could very well go the next four years with Ladybug as his only escape. And now with her in school and him…not…he was going to be facing many nights by himself.

Once again he mourned not knowing her identity. It was too much to hope that she went to school close enough to make it here during her lunch hour or something but maybe his continued confinement wouldn't be so bad if he could at least text her. …He was going to have to pretend that everything was normal with her. That he was going to school like a normal kid and not being homeschooled like some rich kid with a stifling father who was so scared of _something_ that he refused to let him be like the others.

Adrien raised his head. "I'm going to go my entire childhood only having two friends, Tikki," he realized aloud. "And neither of them will know the truth about me."

It was a good thing that his ring made him immune to akumas or else he would probably be in serious trouble right about now.

"I'm your friend," Tikki reminded him. "And I know the truth. But I also know what you mean and you shouldn't give up hope so easily. You've got a few years before you're an adult, right? That's plenty of time! Anything could happen!"

And then, of course, the screaming began. Adrien twisted around and stared out the window. No way. Not today of _all_ days. Loud thuds reached his ears then, one right after the other, almost like footsteps. No, _exactly_ like footsteps. Oh boy.

" _Anything_ , huh?" he muttered. Tikki covered her mouth with her paws. He heaved a sigh and pushed himself up. "Here we go."

"Well, at least you'll get to see Chat," Tikki pointed out.

Adrien shook his head. "It's her first day of school. We're probably going solo on this one, Tikki. _Transformer-_ _moi_!"

Ladybug had to be careful about getting out of his house. He usually opted to leave through his bathroom window but he wasn't sure where the akuma was relative to it or if there were any news choppers around. The last thing he needed was people witnessing _Ladybug_ coming out of _Adrien_ _Agreste's_ room. But as luck would have it, the cacophony was coming from the complete opposite side of the house and there were no helicopters in sight, though he could hear one nearby. He'd have to be quick.

He scurried onto his rooftop and then took off at a sprint, using his pole to vault himself across the street in the direction of the ruckus. It was only maybe a street over from his house so he didn't have far to go.

The first thing Ladybug noticed when he arrived on scene was the hulking golem lunging all over the place. The second was the tiny black figure bounding from surface to surface to dodge the punches being thrown at her. Ladybug was shocked. If Chat was already on scene then the akuma must have been loose for some time. In the span of two seconds he was able to deduce that she was entirely on the defensive. Her yo-yo was in her hand but she was making no attempt to use it.

The golem swung its huge fist at her and Chat Noire only just rolled out of the way in time. Ladybug buzzed angrily and leaped into the fray, bringing his staff down on the golem's head with a loud yell.

"LADYBUG NO!"

His staff made solid contact but had absolutely no effect. Ladybug flipped through the air and landed on the ground in a crouch. Then before his eyes, the golem grew in size. His jaw dropped.

"No fair!" he protested. Chat Noir landed at his side.

"No attacking," she ordered. "He's grown at least twice already. I have no idea where the akuma is yet."

"Noted. …Your hair is different," he added in surprise. Normally she wore her hair in a ponytail, low enough to hide her ears, but firm enough that he'd seen nary a hair out of place. Today, however, her hair hung over her shoulders in twin pigtails, bound with two pink ties. Her ears remained hidden from view like with her other hairstyle, thus keeping the illusion of the feline pair perched atop her head being real.

Chat Noire lifted her hand to one of her pigtails and let out a tiny, 'huh' of surprise. "I wasn't expecting that."

Ladybug smiled. "It suits you. Say, shouldn't you be in school?"

"Shouldn't you?"

"Uh, about that—"

Chat Noire sighed and rolled her shoulders. "Well, at least we get to be truant together."

Ladybug grinned and straightened up. "If I go down, you're coming with me?"

"Exactly."

"Ladybug! Chat Noire!" The golem bellowed, startling Ladybug back to the matter at hand. "Give me your Miraculous!"

The golem lumbered towards them and they leaped out of the way.

"Who's ugly?" he asked as he vaulted over a car. Chat Noire bounded across the hood behind him.

"A collége student," she answered immediately and he looked at her in shock. Was it someone she _knew_?

His attention was caught by the sound of metal groaning. He whipped around. The golem hefted the car over its head without as much as a grunt of effort. Ladybug's eyes flipped wide.

"Scatter!" Chat yelped and disappeared from his side. He dove forward just as it hurled the car. He slid between the golem's legs and flipped himself upright on the other side.

"Up!" Chat Noire's voice but he couldn't see where she was. Still, he knew better than to disobey an order like that. He extended his staff and catapulted over the golem's head onto the rooftops. She landed beside him a moment later and grabbed his arm.

"Keep running!" she ordered. Below them, the golem roared and slammed its fist into the building. The entire structure shuddered and Ladybug wobbled unsteadily. Chat tugged on his arm to balance him and then sprinted away across the rooftops. He followed quickly.

The golem's roar echoed after them.

"What are we doing?!" Ladybug yelled. "We can't just run away!"

"We're not!" Chat called over her shoulder. "But we need a plan and that isn't going to happen while trying to dodge him!"

Though it didn't feel right to leave the scene, he could at least see the logic behind her decision. They didn't go far, only a few blocks. He could still hear the golem roaring periodically but after about a minute of running, he realized that they were different. Instead of being wordless or of their names, he was saying something else. …It almost sounded like…the word 'kill' in English.

Not good.

Chat Noir alighted on top of a spindly chimney that didn't look nearly sturdy enough to support her weight then dropped down onto the rooftop. Ladybug landed beside her and tucked his baton into its holster on his back.

"How do we fight something we can't attack?" He wondered aloud. "And do you have any idea where the akuma is in all of that stone?"

Chat Norie shook her head. "And before you ask, I already tried binding him. He couldn't break free but that didn't stop him from trying. And knocking me into a car in the process. We're not going to be able to take him head on like this."

"Okaaaaay." Ladybug folded his arms. "How do you know he's a collége student?"

She raised her eyebrows. "I have a friend who goes to school nearby," she replied without missing a beat. "She texted me when he appeared."

"Wait. Does this friend _know_ who you are?" Ladybug tried to ignore the twinge of hurt at the thought that someone else…some… _outsider_ …knew his minou on both sides of her mask while he didn't get to.

To his immense relief, she shook her head. "No, she was just warning me."

" _KIIIIIIIIIIIILL!"_ the golem roared distantly. Both heroes turned their heads as the echo faded away.

"Is he saying ' _kill_ '?" Ladybug asked after a moment.

"Kim," Chat corrected. "It's a name."

"Sucks to be Kim."

She laughed once under her breath. "We need to know what set him off. Or what the corrupted object is. Anything."

"I could always buzz around him while you hunt," Ladybug offered but she shook her head immediately.

"Too risky. I can't have you timing out on me."

He sighed and folded his arms. "Well what do you suggest then?"

The tip of Chat Noire's tail began to flick from side to side and his eyes were drawn to it like always. She was in the zone. He smiled, despite himself.

"I think I know how to get the answers," she said after a moment. "But you're not going to like it."

"Minou, I hate half your plans, but that doesn't make them any less effective. What do you need me to do?"

Chat Noire smiled at him and her ears perked up at the praise. "I need you to keep Rocky occupied."

"…Rocky?"

"He hasn't said his name yet. I've just been calling him Rocky, don't worry about it." She waved her hand dismissively. "I'm going to visit my friend's school and see if I can't find out who this 'Kim' is."

"And you don't want me to come with you so I'm on babysitting duty," he guessed.

"Yes," she admitted, "to the first part. But we also need to be seen making an effort to control the akuma. People won't care that I've gone below the radar if you're out there drawing their attention. They like you more, anyway."

Ladybug inclined his head. She wasn't wrong. He'd noticed the people seemed to speak higher of him than of her. He wasn't quite sure if he should read too much into it yet. It had only been a few weeks since their debut and neither of them had ventured into the public eye except when necessary. He was certain that if people got to know her, the public opinion would shift.

"But most importantly, slow him down. He can't reach Kim before we do."

He bowed at the waist, sweeping his arm out in a grand gesture. "As you wish, minou. I'll buy you time."

Chat smiled. "Thanks, Buggy. I'll call you when I know something."

They took off in opposite directions, her presumably towards her friend's school and him towards the source of the roar rumbling through the air. Damn. Whoever this Kim guy was, he'd really messed up.


	3. Rock Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She used the momentum he’d given her to launch herself at him and landed directly on his face.
> 
> Chat Noire grinned at him and meowed loudly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOL I'M BACK.
> 
> I'm still working on Guardians but I figured it was high time I continued this as well.

No one was prepared for a superhero to fall from the sky and land among their gym class. Most of them screamed and jumped away from her. Max dropped the ball he was holding and Rose actually fell over. The whole thing would have been hilarious to Chat Noire if she hadn't been on a mission. She straightened up and squared her shoulders to seem more imposing. Her eyes immediately located Kim but she quickly looked away and surveyed the students surrounding her. It wouldn't be a good idea for her to make it obvious that she knew who she was looking for.

"C-Chat Noire?" Monsieur D'Argencourt stammered, completely aghast, before quickly composing himself. "What is the meaning of this? We are having a class."

"Sorry, monsieur, but this is more important. I'm looking for a boy named Kim." She looked around at the students again.

"Uh…that's me," Kim announced and she turned to face him. He lowered his hand. "Sup?"

Chat Noire stalked towards him, tail lashing. "An akuma, that's what. An akuma that's been screaming your name like mantra and is likely on his way here."

Kim paled. "W-what? How…are you sure it's me?"

"I have it on good authority that it came from your school and one of your classmates said I would be able to find you here. Last I saw, the akuma was heading in this direction. So, yeah, pretty sure."

"Ivan!" Rose gasped. "It must be. Kim, how could you?!"

Kim sputtered, looking between Rose and Chat, then at the faces of his assembled peers who were frowning at him. "It wasn't my fault!" he protested.

"What did you do?" Chat Noire asked. "You can whisper to me if you don't want the others to know but I _need_ to. We don't have a lot of options at this point because every time he's attacked, he grows bigger and stronger. Neither of us can find his corrupted object and if it's imbedded in his skin, somehow, we need to know exactly what it is we're looking for. Start talking."

Kim's mouth opened but nothing came out. At least he seemed to be comprehending the gravity of the situation.

"I think, perhaps, we should vacate the premises post-haste." D'Argencourt objected.

"You can go," Chat Noire said. "In fact, you should. Get as far from here as you can. But this one isn't going anywhere until he talks."

The students began moving towards the exit but D'Argencourt remained in his place. "He is my pupil—"

"Giant rampaging rock monster!" Chat Noire retorted. "On its way here, breaking everything in its path!"

"I will not—"

_"KIIIIIIIIIIIIM!"_

Chat Noire's ears swiveled in the direction of the roar but she otherwise remained motionless. She wasn't even sure the rest of the class had heard it until D'Argencourt let out a quiet, strangled sound. Kim's face paled.

"Giant. Rampaging. Rock monster," Chat repeated slowly. There was a flurry of movement as the rest of the class scampered for the doors. Kim tried to follow but Chat threw her arm out and caught him around the midsection. "And it's your fault."

"Alright!" Kim yelped. Glancing around, he leaned closer to Chat Noire and murmured a recount of what had transpired during homeroom. Chat Noire tried to keep the surprise off her face. Apparently, Kim had written Ivan a note calling him out for being unable to confess to Mylène. No wonder he had reacted so strongly! "I was trying to motivate him. Honest," Kim insisted as he finished.

"Well, I don't think he realized that." Chart Noire shook her head. "But I think I know where the akuma is. Thanks. Now, go." She gave him a push towards the door. "It's not safe here. Get as far away as you can and don't go anywhere he'd think to look for you!"

Kim took off across the field and with one final look of disapproval at the hero, D'Argencourt followed.

Chat Noire shook her head and pulled her yo-yo from her belt and flipped open the communicator to call Ladybug. He didn't answer immediately which she took to mean he was engaging with Rocky somehow.

Ladybug finally picked up after about twenty seconds and from the looks of things, he was in a tree. "What did you find, minou?"

"Do you have eyes on Rocky?"

"Stone Heart," Ladybug corrected off-handedly, craning his neck to see over his shoulder, "and yeah. Why?"

"Look at his right fist. Is it still closed?"

The screen blurred from the movement and she heard his boots scraping against wood. The image settled and she could see him squinting at something over the top of his baton. "Yes. …Wait. I think I see where you're going."

"He hasn't opened it once, has he?"

"Not that I can think of. He's punched with it but he's doing all the grabbing with his left."

"It's in his fist."

"Are you _sure_?" he asked, looking back into the camera.

"The akuma is likely in a wadded up piece of paper. Where do you carry something like that?"

"In your hand." Ladybug grumbled. "Great. Where are you?"

"The nearby stadium, some of the kids from the college were having class. I sent them away. But it doesn't matter, I'm coming back to you."

"About two blocks east from Tour Montparnasse _._ I'm trying to herd him but he just keeps swatting me. I'm running out of options here."

"Keep your wings in, I'm on my way." Chat Noire snapped her communicator shut and flung her yo-yo towards the open ceiling above her. It caught on the edge and she went sailing through the air. She stopped on the roof long enough to check that Kim and co were well on their way away from the stadium, then she located the Tour not too far away, and took off.

She heard Stone Heart before she saw him. He was shouting for something to "GET OUT OF HERE!" and "HOLD STILL!" just a few seconds after. Chat smiled to herself, despite everything. That would be Ladybug being Ladybug. Two helicopters, one for a local news station and the other for the police, were circling overhead and she figured that must be where the fight was occurring.

When Chat arrived, she paused only to assess the situation, and then she hurled her yo-yo at Stone Heart's fist as he was drawing back to punch. The akuma paused and twisted around to see what had stopped him. Then he growled and pulled. This time, Chat was ready, and she triggered the release mechanism just after she felt the tug. She used the momentum he'd given her to launch herself at him and landed directly on his face.

Chat Noire grinned at him and meowed loudly.

"Get off me!" Stone Heart bellowed, reaching up with his left hand to smash her but she let go, landing on the outcropping of his chest. Instead his hand connected with his face and he staggered, limbs flailing, and Chat sprang off him entirely, flipping backwards through the air, and landed on all fours.

Stone Heart tipped backwards and landed on the hood of a nearby car, stunned.

Chat Noire skittered back, retracting her yo-yo. Ladybug dropped down next to her a few seconds later. "So what's the plan?"

"Well, there's two of us and he has two hands…. Oh. Oh! Do you trust me?" she asked, grabbing his arm. Stone Heart was on his feet and they were out of time. Ladybug nodded, wide-eyed. "Good. Then wait ten seconds then fly in and rescue me!"

"What?! CHAT!" he shouted after her but she was already sprinting towards the akuma.

"HEY!" she shrieked up at him. "Betchya can't catch me!" She jumped again, aiming for his face, but he was ready for her this time. Eyes squeezed shut, Chat Noire braced for impact…but even that wasn't enough to prepare her for the feeling of a massive stone hand snatching her body out of the air. The air rushed out of her lungs and she cried out, or she tried to, but it came out as a weird little rasp.

Tight. It was incredibly tight and she could feel her insides being squished and her muscles screamed in protest. But she could still breathe! That was good, right? _Ow, ow, ow I should've thought this through more—_

"LET HER GO!"

Chat Noire glanced over her shoulder and saw Ladybug literally flying through the air with a look of fury on his face. As she'd predicted, Stone Heart reached up to grab the oncoming threat and as he did, she spotted a black piece of wadded up paper fall to the ground.

What she hadn't predicted was what would happen next.

Ladybug swung his baton up and nailed Stone Heart right in the chin. His grip tightened on her reflexively as he fell and he was _crushing, crushing, crushing…_ The jolt as Stone Heart impacted with the ground was so jarring she swore she felt her brain bouncing around inside her skull. Her teeth clacked together and the arm that was closes to the ground suddenly flared with white hot pain.

Another pained noise left her throat. _This was a bad idea._

And then the pressure was gone, disappeared as if it had never been there, and the only indicator that it ever had been was the pain her body which worsened when she hit the ground. She yelped and curled in on herself. A weak rumbling sputtered and died in her chest and she wondered why it felt like she was trying to purr at a time like this….

Then Ladybug was there fussing over her, hands flitting helplessly across her body, asking where it hurt, what was wrong, was she okay?

"Ow, ow, ow, ow," she whimpered and let out a low whine when he touched her wounded arm.

There was an angry buzzing over her. She opened her eyes and immediately found the source: his wings beating furiously enough that he was starting to lift off the ground. Ladybug looked up at the sky, his expression twisted in frustration, and he nodded to himself. Without a word, he leaped into the air and performed his magical cure. The swarm of ladybugs descended on her first, engulfing her body and easing the pain with a faint tickling sensation until there was nothing left.

Wings gone, Ladybug descended back to the ground on the tail end of the magic that let him fly. By the time his feet touched the ground, Chat Noire had pushed herself upright. _Note to self,_ she thought, _never do that again._

"What the heck kind of a stupid plan was that?" Ladybug snapped. "You could've been killed!"

She shook her head. "I knew I wouldn't be in danger for very long and I'm fine. See?" she rotated the arm that had been in agony just moments before. "No harm done."

Ladybug growled quietly. "The akuma got away."

"What?!" Chat shrieked. He looked away, ashamed now. "How could it get away?!"

"You were hurt. I was worried."

"You should've gone after it!"

"You were in pain," he replied simply. Chat Noire sighed exasperatedly but didn't press him further. It was obvious he wasn't going to regret what he'd done. Part of her was glad he'd been so quick to alleviate her pain. She just hoped this wasn't going to come back to bite them in the ass later.

"Where am I?"

Chat Noire turned around. Right. Ivan. He was looking around in confusion, one hand on his head. Chat pushed herself up and walked over to the piece of paper. Picking it up, she unfolded it to read the message for herself and then sighed. Kim had been trying…in his own twisted way to motivate him, but he'd really missed the mark on this one. Poor Ivan.

"A couple kilometers from your school," she told him.

Ivan lowered his hand, glancing between them. "I didn't…did I?"

"Afraid so, man," Ladybug answered.

Her classmate looked away, hunching his shoulders. "I didn't mean to. Kim he—he was making fun of me. I just got so angry and I…"

Chat Noire approached him. "Well…." Kneeling down, she held out the note. "Nothing like the prospect of a raging rock monster coming after them to make someone change their ways, right?"

Ivan considered this. "Maybe. If I'm lucky."

"Well, I can't help you there," she warned him with a mock grimace. "But maybe Ladybug would be willing to share some of his luck."

Ladybug rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, my luck isn't working so well today, either." Then, as if to prove his point, his ring began beeping. He sighed. "Well, that's my cue. …You sure you're okay?"

Chat Noire nodded reassuringly. "What about the akuma?"

He shrugged helplessly. "Maybe it went back to Hawkmoth? I guess we'll see. Later, _minou_. Good luck with your uh…thing," he added for Ivan's benefit.

"Thank you?" Ivan replied.

Ladybug saluted and then catapulted away with his baton. Chat watched long enough to make sure he made it to the roof then turned back to Ivan and held out her hand. "Come on, I'll take you back to your school."


End file.
